As loneliness becomes a growing concern in today's fast-paced society, artificial intelligence, or AI companions are emerging as a revolutionary solution. Thanks to significant improvements in large language models (LLMs), AI friends are more empathetic, engaging, and responsive than ever before. What drives people to seek companionship, sometimes even romance, from AI, and what do people gain and loose from these AI relationships? On the show: Heyang, Yushan & Steve Hatherly